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Tie-Down Roping is an event born of the old West, when the wide open spaces demanded that a person had only his horse and himself to rely on to catch and doctor cattle. Today, calf roping is poetry in motion, as a cowboy and his horse work together as a team to rope, catch and tie a calf in the fastest time possible.
The rider and his horse start from behind a barrier,
which is a piece of equipment designed to give the calf a head start and to ensure that all contestants begin their competition run at the exact same point. If the cowboy starts too soon and "breaks" the barrier, his time is assessed a ten-second penalty.
The rider and horse chase after the calf and when he is close enough to throw his rope, he catches the calf around the neck and stops his horse. At that point, he dismounts and runs down to tie the calf. The horse is left standing on his own to keep tension in the rope so that the cowboy may "flank" the calf - essentially lifting the calf up and then laying him down on his side to the ground - and then ties any three legs together.
When the cowboy completes his tie, he throws his hands in the air as a signal to the judge, who will drop a flag and stop the time. He then remounts his horse and allows the rope to become slack. The calf must remain tied for six seconds for the run to be considered official. If the calf should struggle free before the six seconds is up, the contestant will receive a no-time.